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Nov 24, 2015bibliokrisp rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Like The Round House, this is a book I'll be thinking about for a long time. Erdrich creates many threads of story, all interconnected by characters and blood, and told by different voices from the past and present. Most of the book takes place in Pluto, ND, on the edge of a reservation, and the people in the story, whether perceived as Native American or White, are all related by action or blood. The prime focus of the story is the slaughter of a family back in the early 1900s, and its impact on characters in the story, especially on the Native Americans blamed for the murders. One family member, a baby, survives, and Erdrich deftly ties up the baby's story, as well as the other stories and questions in the book. Some readers have commented on the large number of narrators and characters, but I found that this offered many perspectives and illuminated the true story as more people told their version. Erdrich also puts many pieces of everyday humor in her writing, which creates fully formed characters and enlivens her characters and her books. I read this one in preparation for the 3rd book in an interconnecting series, which will be published in 2016, called LaRose. This is the 1st book, and The Round House was the 2nd. But warning--your heart will warm and then break when you read Erdrich's writing. Don't expect a light-hearted book without conflict; if you want that, read a cozy mystery or a romance.